Twenty Five Years

[Theron]

For me, the weather is a major memory trigger. One that always resurfaces when the cooling breezes of fall turn up is the first time I played D&D. I'd been introduced to the general concept of dungeon-delving thanks to the board games "Melee" and "Wizard" and "Death Test", the programmed adventure for them, but hadn't really made the cognitive leap to something grander than pushing counters around a hex map. A buddy picked up D&D over the summer break (The original Basic D&D boxed set with the bluish-purple box), and we all decided to give it a go.

We met on the porch of the school cafeteria after classes let out on a Friday afternoon and played for about three hours.

It occurred to me the other day that was twenty five years ago.

In honor of the occasion, I decided to change my avatar to a picture of my original dice (which I still have).

- signing up for the Old Gamers' Home TB

 

[Wombat]

For me, it was Labor Day Weekend, 1975.

I was walking out the door to go to a Boy Scout Jamboree and, thankfully!, I got the Three Little Books on the way out the door. Other people were talking about CB radios that weekend; I was trying to tell folks about hit points, character classes, and dungeons.

...now when I smell crude oil, I think of my first days with Gaming...

 

[jrients]

What a couple of relics. I didn't get started until '81 myself.

 

[Desdichado]

Wow, I don't even remember exactly the first time I played. It has to have been right about 25 years ago myself, though. Although I didn't take it seriously until several years later.

 

[BSF]

I don't remember the date, but I remember I was hanging out at the bowling alley while my parents were bowling. Early 1980 as my 10th birthday wasn't until the summer and I was finishing up 5th grade. So, I have only been at it 23 years. I still have some of my original dice, but not all of them. No biggie though, I like my Avatar much better than a picture of some old dice!

 

[William Ronald]

It's been 23 years for me. I remember an adventure that seemed like a Lord of the Rings parody. (My first DM was a neophyte as well.)

At least when I retire, I think I will have something more intellectually stimulating than shuffleboard to keep me active.

 

[caudor]

It's nice to hear from so many 'old-timers'. Wow, I got a rush of memories myself just reading your stories. It is hard to believe so much time as passed.

I think it was 1980 that I discovered D&D; my buddy came running down the hall after school to let me know (with some excitment I might add) that he had just killed a giant tick. Of course, I had to check this game out...

I hope I'll still be playing in the old folks home. Out with checkers; in with D&D!

 

[MrFilthyIke]

I started in junior high, in '89 with the AD&D 2ed Players book. I didn't understand it (was self-teaching myself the game after reading The Hobbit in school), so I switch to the RED BOX game.

Now, I'm still going strong, with a game collection 3 1/2 bookselves strong of rare and ecclectic finds (D&D and otherwise).

 

[Mystery Man]

Purple Box.

Still have it somewhere.

 

[the Jester]

1980; the red box, along with L1, The Secret of Bone Hill, came home with me from the hobby store. My mom had read me an article in the paper about dnd and suggested we try it; ironically, she never did.